Hating Riku Tanaka
by KiraSakura
Summary: Riku was rich, arrogant, and perfect in every sense of the word. Sora was from a middleclass, mixed up family who had had three fathers. Sora hated Riku with every fibre in his body. But that was to hide the floaty feeling [RS, AR, CL][For japaneserocker]
1. I hate him

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts I, II or CoM. Tetsuya Nomura does.

**Warnings: **Shounen-ai, and bad words. Everyone loves bad words.

**Author's Notes: **FINALLY! She is done. Well, ok, so we still have one more chapter to type up and an epilogue, but at least it's on the net. So this weird little chapter thing that I've been working on since I got the PM is for japaneserocker. Yes, I have a thing for gift fics. XP But I'm weird like that. W-E-I-R-D. You know that whole 'I-before-E-except-after-C' rule? Why doesn't it apply to that word? And 'their'. I mean, that's just confusing.

I got a beta!! Uh huh yeah. So, this was beta-d by namikun masaki, who we must thank with the eggplant song!

Oh eggplant, oh eggplant,

So purple, and fun-ny shaped,

Oh eggplant, oh eggplant,

Fried, or baked into a crepe,

Oh eggplant, oh eggplant,

So disgusting and hard,

Oh eggplant, oh eggplant,

Can I throw you in the neighbour's yard?

HEY!

Eggplant song belongs to my best friend. Not me. There's also the carrot song, the steak-and-kidney-pie song, and the we-sing-about-odd-things song.

**OXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

The heavy pitch of crickets sung through the humid summer air, and Sora was pretty damn sure he was going to melt. He was slumped over his desk, idly flicking his pencil's end in utmost boredom. Next to him, Tidus was snoring lightly, the warm atmosphere too much for the worn-out Blitzball player to stay awake. Up the front of the room Kairi Nakamura and Selphie Tilmitt were playing cards, and Ms Aerith Gainsborough was flicking through a book. Sora sighed. What was the point of coming to class, anyway? It was far too hot to think, let alone actually do work. Thankfully, Aerith had said that they could have free time, as she knew that everyone was pretty much dead.

Sora's bright blue eyes flicked over to the window. The sky was clear and sunny, a few white puffy clouds drifting lazily along it. The trees that sat outside were full of birds, and the fountain that sat in the middle of the courtyard was spraying cool water about. A few freshman girls were mucking around, as it was their lunch break. It was so peaceful, yet so dull. Summer holiday was three weeks away, and work had been piling up. Tests and exams had to be taken; yet everyone was too tired to study for them. Well, just about everyone. Sora glanced over to in front of him, eyes falling upon a head of long silver hair tied back in a loose ponytail. A pair of broad shoulders were a little lower, clothed in the school's summer uniform. Sora frowned, and glared half-heartedly at the firm back that was hunched over slightly, the owner of it wrapped up in his studies.

'Look at him! Acting like a freakin' know-it-all. I could fucking stab him…Riku Tanaka…god, I hate him!' Sora thought furiously, shooting daggers Riku's way with his eyes. He looked over at the person sitting next to Riku, and suppressed the urge to laugh. He always did. Axel Moriyama looked like a clown, with his too-tall stature and lanky body. His hair was quite long and bushy, coloured a bright fiery red. If one got a look at his face they would see a pair of slim cat-like emerald eyes, and a pair of black upside-down triangles tattooed underneath. Axel was busy poking Riku's shoulder with his pen, muttering to himself. Sora picked up words of, "Why won't he go out with me?" and "I love Roxas so much!". Sora sighed. So, Roxas was still rejecting Axel's advances. Sora didn't really understand why, heck, anyone could see that Roxas was utterly smitten with the redhead. Except said redhead. Sora was pretty sure it was because Axel, before being transferred to this school, had been known as a playboy, and Roxas was scared of being hurt. After Hayner's betrayal with Seifer, Roxas had become a cold person, only talking to his friends. When Axel started to court him, Roxas had thrown anything within reach at him. That would deter most. But Axel kept coming back, day after day, bringing flowers, chocolates, and poetry. And sometimes, much to Sora's chagrin, Riku. Sora absolutely _despised_ Riku. Riku, who shouldn't even be here. This was a public school, for Christ's sake! Shouldn't the boy be in some sort of private school, laughing with other rich people about polo and art?

Suddenly there was something hitting Sora's mop of spiky chocolate locks, falling down onto the desk. The wadded up piece of paper sat there innocently, and Sora picked it up, curious. He unfolded it, and smoothed it out.

_You okay? You've been staring at Tanaka's back for the last five minutes._

_-- Dem_

Sora blinked, and sighed. If Demyx Kazami, who was somewhat of an idiot and completely oblivious to anyone other than Zexion, had noticed, then no doubt everyone else did.

_Yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking. Any update on the Roxas-Axel front?_

_-- Sora_

Sora threw the paper over his shoulder, knowing that it would get to Demyx. The blonde mullet-haired boy sat right behind him, after all. Sure enough, the note was soon back on his desk, and Sora was opening it.

_I talked to Axel. He intends to intercept Roxas on his way home this afternoon. He went and bought Rox a ring! Cost Axel three hundred dollars! If that doesn't scream commitment than I don't know what does. Even Zexy hasn't gotten ME a ring yet. But he DID get me that pretty bracelet with the tag 'I own Zexion Shino's ass'. That was cool._

_-- Dem_

_P.S I heard we have to do an assignment on samurai from the Meiji revolution. It's a partner thing. Let us pray you don't get stuck with Tanaka_

A shudder ran through Sora's body. Oh yeah. THAT would be absolutely wonderful. Sora snuck a glance at Riku, and blinked. Riku was talking to Axel now, and Sora caught a glimpse of Riku aquamarine eyes. They were so intriguing, Sora thought. Such a unique and odd colour, and so full of emotion. Riku seemed to always have his guard up, his eyes never showing anything. But it was at these moments, when Riku was relaxed and feeling safe, his eyes became a gateway to his soul. It was at times like this that Sora started to hate Riku a little less, and sometimes Sora would feel a weird rush of something flood his gut. But then those eyes glanced over to him, and Sora saw that strange emotion, and he somehow felt imperfect, as if Riku shouldn't even looking at him. The anger came rushing right back. Sora stuck out his tongue, smirking when Riku rolled his eyes and glared. Anyone else would've run screaming had they be on the receiving end of that glare. Sora, though, was quite used to it. He pulled a face, and was about to snap some snarly comment had it not been for Aerith's interruption.

"Ok, class! We have ten minutes until school finishes! So could you all please pay attention so I can tell you about your assessment piece?" She said, smiling. Riku turned around, and Sora focused his attention on the teacher. Aerith was standing up in front of the blackboard, scratching away several words. Finally, she stood back. Up on the board she had written several names.

"As you all know, we have been studying the Meiji Revolution for the last month. Your assignment will be to choose a historical figure that was a part of the revolution, and both you and your partner are to perform an oral presentation. And no, Mr Onodara, I don't mean that in a sexual fashion. I know how you operate. Now, **I **will be choosing your partners for you. First, Mr Moriyama and Mr Kazami, you will be both be working together. Then Ms Tilmitt and Ms Nakamura, and next Mr Onodara and Ms Awayuki…Sora, do you think you could wake up Mr Nami?"

Sora blinked. He glanced to his side, where Tidus was sprawled out twitching and mumbling something about…flying purple carrots?

"Um, sure, Aerith…" Sora replied, before poking Tidus with a pencil. Tidus grumpily swatted at him, and Sora sighed. He then proceeded to push Tidus out of his chair. Tidus let out a yell, before landing with a splat against the carpet, ass sticking up in the air. The girls giggled, and Aerith smiled nervously.

"I…didn't mean it like that, Sora" She smiled. Sora shrugged, and said, "Got 'im up, didn't it?"

"Well, yes, I suppose…anyway, Mr Nami? Please return to your seat. I'm pairing you with Mr Maru" Tidus grumbled lightly to himself, and nodded. Sora continued to list off the pairs, until only four people were left.

"Ms Niwa and Ms Chidori you two will be together, which leaves Mr Tanaka and Sora"

A strained silence fell upon the class, and countless eyes slid over to where both boys were sitting. Suddenly both were standing up, chairs flying back, and yelling, "WHAT?!"

Ms Gainsborough gave them a stern look, and said, "Please sit back down, boys"

"NO! I AM NOT GOING TO SPEND MY NEXT THREE WEEKS WITH THAT BASTARD!" Sora yelled, blue eyes ablaze. Riku twitched, and hissed, "Oh, and you're one to talk, Kusunagi. At least I'm civilized. And the creature behind me is completely right. There is no way in hell I'm working with him"

"I'll kill you!" Sora shouted, taking a step forward into his desk. Aerith, though, snapped, "Oh, stop being such babies. You're working together; otherwise I'll fail you both. And I'm afraid, Mr. Tanaka, that wouldn't go very well with your father, would it? And that mother will be very disappointed in you, Sora. Now, sit down, shut up, and pick a samurai"

Both boys gaped at the woman. Suddenly Riku's eye became very narrow, and seemed to darken. He sat down, though, but his fists were clenched. Sora, on the other hand, didn't stop. "My mother is your mother! Jeez! Just because you're older than me, Aerith, and your dad actually lives with us DOESN'T mean you can boss me around! I KNOW WHERE YOU STASH YOUR CANDY! I'll steal it if you don't change me!"

Aerith, whose temper was just like Sora's, replied, "Sora! I understand that you resent the fact that my father lives with us and that yours just abandoned us! But that is NO excuse to threaten my sugar! I KNOW WHERE YOU HIDE YOUR LAPTOP! You know father didn't want one in the house. SIT DOWN and I won't tell him"

"I'll get you…just you wait…I'll get Leon to do something...I have power over him…" Sora hissed. Aerith rolled her eyes. "You know as well as I do that Cloud and Leon are FAR too busy breaking couches to do something that means they have to move. Now sit, or expect Yuffie in your wardrobe when you get home"

Sora went pale, and hastily took his seat. Aerith smiled, and asked everyone to choose a person. Since Sora was too busy grumbling about evil half-sisters who happened to be his history teacher Riku went ahead and chose Hajime Saito.

**X-X-X**

Sora's eye twitched. And twitched again. Someone up there was defiantly out to get him today. Couldn't he go three hours without running into cocky, arrogant, jerky Riku?

"_What_ are you doing here?" Sora hissed, glaring at the silver-haired teen who was currently sitting at _his_ booth. Riku blinked, and looked up from his book and iced-coffee. He quirked an eyebrow, and replied, "What does it look like, Kusunagi?"

"It looks like you're sitting in MY booth. Piss off, goddamnit. I don't feel like putting up with you today, Tanaka" Sora snapped. Riku let out a bark of laughter, and said, "Oh, right. I'm _sure _I saw your name here somewhere. Go and play with your little friends, Kusunagi. I shouldn't be seen conversing with creatures like you"

"Oh, get off your freakin' high horse, Tanaka. Just because your dad owns a freakin' recording studio _doesn't_ mean you can boss anyone around whenever you want. That's been my booth for over six years. Now fuck _off_," Sora answered, and he then proceeded to slip into the opposite seat. Riku frowned, and said, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Sitting, jerk" Sora smiled, blue eyes alight with determination. Riku snorted, and went, "If you think that's gonna make me move, than you're sorely mistaken"

Sora just grinned, and ordered a chocolate milkshake. Five minutes later, Riku had thrown down his book and was yelling at the brunette boy.

"FUCKING STOP MAKING THAT GODAWFUL NOISE!" Riku roared, effectively earning him several strange looks from the other people in the small coffee shop. Sora blinked innocently, slurped his drink again, and replied, "What noise?"

Riku's eyes narrowed, and he ground out, "You know what I'm talking about, Kusunagi"

"Actually, I don't" Sora answered, trying very hard to hide the grin of sheer satisfaction of getting Riku Tanaka pissed.

Ten minutes, both boys were banned from the café for life, due to Riku having tipped his iced-coffee over Sora, and Sora pouring his chocolate milkshake over Riku. And then slamming the next booth overs lunch into Riku's shirt. Riku, in turn, had smashed the table next to their's ice cream in Sora's hair.

"I fucking HATE you!" Riku yelled, aquamarine eyes alive and flaring. Sora yelled back, "Well same here, bastard!"

They glared at each other for a minute, before Sora turned and stormed away.

"That's right! Run away, you freak of nature!" Riku called after him, smirking. Sora resisted the urge to turn around and punch the living daylights out of Riku. "Get bent, Tanaka" He replied, missing the sharp look of longing that slipped across Riku's face.

**X-X-X**

"I'm telling you, Rox, Tanaka is _such_ a freaking ass!" Sora whined into the phone. Aerith entered the kitchen, pretending to not be listening in. Sora knew better, but he was too distracted ranting about Riku's supposed evilness. Roxas, Sora's younger twin brother who was sleeping over a friends - Pence's - house that night, was on the other end, having to put up with Sora's ranting.

"_Why is he such an ass, Sor? I mean, what did you do to him to make him like that? With everyone else he's really nice. Reserved, but nice"_ Roxas replied. Sora blinked. Roxas was right. Riku was quite nice to everyone else. But, Sora had noticed, he kind of closed up. His eyes would become cold, as if he didn't really care. But when with Sora, his eyes would light up, and he'd become a lot more aggressive. It was like Sora was his way to vent, or something. Sora knew Riku's father, Sephiroth Tanaka, was quite mean, with what he had seen at those nights where the parents came in as a group and participated in a mock class with their children. Since Sora had all the same classes as Riku (Something that never failed to elude him) he had seen Sephiroth a few times. And Sora could tell that with the way he handled Riku, there was no love lost between the two. He remembered two months ago, how Sephiroth had actually slapped Riku across the cheek when the teacher gave him an A-. The tall man had yelled at Riku, demanding to know if an A- was acceptable. Riku, who looked quite calm, even with his bright red cheek, had answered, quietly, "No, father. I'll try harder". Sephiroth had roared that 'harder' wasn't good enough, that 'harder' wasn't going to keep the company going, and had slapped Riku again, this time on the other side. Sora had noticed a small trail of blood making its way from Riku's mouth, and had felt the sudden urge to get up and cradle Riku in his arms. Riku, though, had merely said, in a dead monotone voice, "I apologize, father. I'll get an A+ next time"

"_I think you're the closet person to Riku, actually. What's his favourite colour?" _Roxas continued, unfazed by Sora's sudden lack of talk. Sora blinked, and murmured, "His favourite colour is sky blue"

"_And how did you know that?" _

"Because he once said that aquamarine was a ugly colour and that sky blue is so much nicer," Sora replied, twisting the cord around his pinkie. Aerith, who had been sitting near-by, nursing a cup of coffee, raised an eyebrow. Roxas' voice was very loud, so she knew what they were talking about.

"_And what's his favourite smell?" _

"Cinnamon and vanilla"

"_There you go. No one else knows that. I think the only reason you hate him is because dad used to bitch about that family all the time. You got a false impression, hated him for those two years dad lived with us, and then when dad left and Sano moved back in you couldn't break the habit" _Roxas informed the brunette. Sora snorted, and said, laughing, "Trust me, Rox, that isn't what happened. Tanaka is just a selfish bastard_" 'That and hating him is the only way to get rid of this weird feeling that I get when he smiles…'_ Sora added mentally.

Roxas sighed. _"Yeah, whatever, Sora. But I think Riku wants to be your friend. You should see the way he looks at you sometimes" _

The moment Roxas said that, Sora's alarm bells went off. Quickly, he changed the subject to something he knew would enthral his younger, blonder counter-part.

"How'd it go with Axel?"

Roxas stayed quiet for a few moments, before whispering, _"I. Am. Dating. Axel. Moriyama"_

Sora's bright blue eyes widened, and he let out a whoop.

"Really?! Hey, that's great! You know how much he obsesses over you! Oh, wow, Rox! Wait till I tell Demyx! He'll wanna throw a celebration party or something!"

Roxas sounded absolutely ecstatic. _"I know! It's so great. He walked right up to me, grabbed my arm, and said, "Rox, I know you might not feel the same way, and you think that I'm gonna hurt you, but I'm NEVER gonna give up on you. I love you, with every last fibre in my being". And he looked really sad, and then I realised he was dead serious, so I go, "Really? You promise?" and you should've seen the way his face lit up. He nodded, and then he gave me the ring - it's silver, with a ruby in the centre! - and then he kissed me! I was SO happy!" _

Sora smiled at his younger brother's joy. It had been a long time since Roxas had sounded that happy.

"That's really great, Roxas. Anyway, I have to go. Aerith looks about ready to maul someone" Sora said, eyeing Aerith's creepy smile. It either meant she was going to give some student a particularly bad grade, or she was thinking of some hair-brained scheme with Yuffie. Sora hoped it was the first. Aerith was a schemer, a malicious, cruel, evil one at that. It was dangerous; some of the things Aerith came up with. And half the time you wouldn't even think it was her!

"_Oh. Ok. See ya later, Sora. Better go check the closet or something. Yuffie's probably around somewhere," _Roxas laughed, before hanging up. Sora visibly shuddered at the thought. And so, Sora placed the phone back in its cradle, and turning around said to Aerith, "Don't you dare. Don't even _think_ about it. You are _not_ selling pictures of Axel and Rox making out, got it? If you do I'll sick a sugar-loaded Cloud onto you"

Aerith blinked innocently, and gently swirled her half-empty mug around. "I have no idea what you mean, _So-ra_"

The fact that she was dragging his name out like that gave Sora the chills.

"Okay, look. You've already been enough of scheming bitch today. First you pair with me Tanaka, and I bet Yuffie is around here somewhere. Please don't make me more depressed. Just please. Now, if you don't mind I'm gonna go and wash out that chocolate sauce. Damn Tanaka…" Sora hissed. Aerith sighed, and cocking her head to one side said, "Sora, Roxas is right. Riku does want to be your friend. I mean, for Christ's sake, he knows as much about you as you about him. And he only really talks to you"

Sora shrugged, and sighed. "Yeah, but only when he's yelling. I mean, jeez, every time he looks as me it's as if I'm…I dunno…not good enough to be in his company…"

Aerith smiled. "Maybe you feel inadequate because you want him to like you?"

Sora snorted, and turned around. He trudged over to the fridge and pulling out a packet of cookies, said, "Yeah. Whatever, Aerith. Is Kei coming home for summer?"

Aerith frowned, and sighed. Kei Leonhart was Leon's father. Aerith was the oldest out of the four children - at age twenty-three - who lived with her mother, Kumeko Kusunagi. Her father, Sanosuke Gainsborough, had left home when she had been two. He had gotten a job at Black Water - a mining area near Mackay - in Central Queensland, Australia. He had failed to contact them; leading Kumeko to believe that he was dead. She had met Kei when Aerith was four, and the two had gotten married, and then Leon was born. Five months later Kei was filing a divorce so he could marry his secretary. Leon was to live with Kumeko and Aerith. His real name was Squall, but Kumeko had stopped calling him that when Kei divorced her. He had grown up knowing himself as Leon. When Aerith had been seven, and Leon three, Yasuo wormed himself into their lives. He was one of Kumeko's co-workers from work, and had offered to take her out for a drink one night. She hadn't come home till the next morning, with no memory of what had happened the night before. Two weeks later she had missed her period, and five months later discovered she had two twin boys growing inside of her. Yasuo had left for England a week after she had slept with him, so he didn't know of Sora or Roxas until he returned twelve years later, and had stopped by to visit Kumeko. He had rung the doorbell, and a small boy with his girlish frame had opened the door, bright blue eyes looking up at him in confusion.

Of course, when he learned he had children, he had tried to live with them. But he wasn't used to their way of life. No, he was too busy trying to get his band started. And he had tried to get a contract at Square Enex Recording Studios, which Sephiroth Tanaka owned and managed. Sephiroth had laughed at Yasuo, and waved him away. By then Riku had started school with Sora, and when Yasuo learned this he told Sora and Roxas all sorts of bad things about the silver haired youth that weren't true.

Then Sanosuke showed up on their doorway on the twins' fourteenth birthday. Roxas had let him in, and when Sano walked into the living room, where the family were all gathered around the coffee table cutting the cake, Kumeko had burst into tears upon sight of him. Sano had held her small frame to him, and he had watched, shocked, as Yasuo told the kids to 'Get the fuck to bed'. The next morning Yasuo was gone, a note stuck to the fridge, saying that he was free at last. They never heard from him again.

Sano had explained that he had been in a mining accident, and he had gotten a particularly bad knock to the head. He had ended up with amnesia of all things, and could only get fleeting images of his old life back. He had spent nineteen years not knowing who he was. Then one day he woke and simply remembered. He had then left Australia, and headed home. That morning, as they all sat around the table discussing things, Sanosuke said that he was staying. And, unlike with Kei or Yasuo, he was good at the whole fathering thing. Aerith soon learned to love her father again, and Leon had a sense of respect for him. Sora and Roxas looked upon him as the father they had never had, and Kumeko fell in love with him all over again. Sano in turn showed interest in Aerith's teaching career, payed for Leon to go to the military school he had wanted to attend, and shown Sora and Roxas what it was like to have someone interested in their lives besides their mother. Life became good again, though the first time Kei, who still stopped to see Leon every holiday, had met him they hadn't really got along. They still didn't, but they put up with each other for Leon's sake. Kei still cared for his first son, even though he had another two. But Leon didn't see Irvine or Zell much anymore. Irvine bugged him, and Zell was never there.

"No, Kei isn't coming to visit, I'm afraid. Marianne's baby is due around summer, and he wants to be there for it. But Cloud and Leon's plane is coming in tonight" Aerith replied, taking a sip of her now-cold coffee. She made a face at the taste, and spat it back into the mug. Sora chuckled, and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Aerith to her cold coffee.


	2. I like like him

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts I, II or CoM. Tetsuya Nomura does.

**Warnings: **Sexual references, shounen-ai, bed words. Yay.

**Author's Notes: **And here is chapter two, beta-d by namikun masaki (yayayay) and ready for japaneserocker to read. Because this is for japaneserocker (STOP MAKING j A CAPITAL, YOU STUPID SPELL-CHECK!). Ack. My fingers are frozen. La la la. Oh, and I know it's like a soap opera. But I say this with much meaning, 'OH WELL'.

Who wants the carrot song? Anyone? I'll give you the carrot song.

So long and orange, like a long orange stick,

So sweet and tasty, bake into cake batter, nice and thick,

So very good for you eyes, maybe it'll make you die.

HUZZAH!

Not as good as the eggplant song, in my opinion. But **J** likes it. Then again, **J **thought he was gay until I explained how you have sex when you are gay. Now he's Bi.

**OXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXCOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

_Riku leaned above Sora, his long silver tresses falling over his broad pale shoulders like water. His aquamarine-green eyes glittered with love and lust, and his plush, pink lips were pulled back into a lazy smirk. Sora lay beneath him, his body quivering with excitement, as he stared up at the older-by-three-months teen. _

"_R--Riku…" Sora stuttered, unsure of what to do. Riku seemed to sense this, because he leaned down, and rubbing his bare chest against Sora's equally naked torso, said, "It's alright. I'll show you what to do" _

_Sora shuddered, and nodded. He felt Riku's large, warm hands trail over his chest, flicking an erect nipple, before trailing lower. Sora's eyes widened in shock as he arched against Riku's hand, hissing in pleasure. Riku smiled, and whispered in Sora's ear, "Do you like it?" _

_Sora moaned in response, and Riku turned and pressed his lips against Sora's, gently mouthing the words, "I love you" against the twin lips. _

"…" Sora shot forward, eyes wide in shock, and his mouth open. Finally, the scream that had wanted to escape did.

"**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**" Sora screeched, slamming his hand over his eyes in an attempt to erase the image of the gorgeous pale body from his mind.

"WHAZZAT?! SORA! WHO'S BEING MURDERED BY A LIGHTBULB?!" The door to his room flung open, and Leon burst in, his steel grey eyes still glazed over from sleep. His normally perfectly layered hair was a mess, and he was in naught but a pair of blue boxers. In his hand he held his gunblade, the other Cloud's buster sword. Said Cloud appeared behind his lover, wiping sleep from his electric-blue eyes. He was absolutely buggered, seeing as how they just got off the plane from Radiant Garden last night. And one can't expect to get much sleep on a plane. Cloud blinked, and took in his frazzled boyfriend, the shock-still little half-brother of his frazzled boyfriend, and came to a conclusion.

"When did the corn attack?" He mumbled. Aerith, who was being followed Roxas, walked up behind Cloud, and said, smiling, "I don't think there was any corn, Cloud. You and Leon go back to bed"

Leon blinked, and sighing grumpily grasped Cloud's wrist and dragged him out of Sora's room, down the hall and into his own, where they promptly slammed the door. Aerith smiled nervously, and turned to look at Sora.

"Sora, close your mouth" She said, watching in mild amusement as Sora starting to stammer, "I…he…sex…wonderful…pretty…disgusting…gah…_Tanaka_…"

Both Roxas and Aerith blinked at the same time, before uttering, "_What_ was that about Riku?"

Sora froze, and turned to look at them. He rubbed the back of his neck, and stuttered, "Riku? What about Riku? I mean, hey, I hate the guy! Ah ha ha ha!"

Aerith shook her head, and said, "I'm going back to bed. It's six AM, and I need to be up in an hour. Roxas, I suggest you go back to bed too" And she turned about, and trekked down the hall, stopping to tell her worrying mother that Sora was fine.

Roxas, meanwhile, raised a slim blonde eyebrow, and smirking said, "So, you were having a wet dream about Riku. Are you _sure_ you hate him?"

Roxas got a pillow to the face, and Sora's shout of, "GET THE FUCK OUT!"

**X-X-X**

"A sexual dream is an indication of one's life force, the abundance of one's creativity and curiosity. It is also indicative of one's desire to incorporate the strengths of the other person and to deepen your relationship with that person" Sora read out loud to himself in the empty, secluded library.

He was surrounded by a heap of dream guides, and had flipped through every one of them, trying to find _something_ that would justify his dream. Except so far the books had said that he wanted to get closer to Riku, or that he was sexually frustrated, and that Riku was the one he was frustrated with. Needless to say, poor Sora's brain was working over-time. He threw the book he had just read out of behind his back and onto the pile, and grabbed a new one. He looked up sex on the index page, and flipped through to the page.

"Sex is a prevalent image in dreams and dream mythology. Many interpreters believe that sexual symbols represent the union between a person's male and female energies" Sora read. He stopped, mentally cursing his father for looking so girlish, and read on.

"A dream of a sexual act may reflect the joining of the complementary and but contrasting sides of the self, signifying the integration of the dreamer's conscious and unconscious. Sexual dreams are often reflections of sexual desire or of past positive sexual encounters"

Sora blinked, and wondered why these books had to use such big words. He grabbed a dictionary, and looked up 'prevalent' and 'integration'. After decoding the words, he let out a frustrated sigh, and groaned, "That doesn't tell me anything!"

"What doesn't tell you anything?"

Sora eeped, and jumping up spun around. Riku stood there, his book bag slung over one shoulder, head cocked to the side and a predatory smirk on his lips. Sora felt his face explode in red, for the images of the dream came rushing back. He gulped, and stuttered, "N--nothing, T--anaka…just go away"

Riku raised an eyebrow, and said, "What? No jerk? No bastard? Jeez. You sick or something?"

Sora shook his head furiously, and glanced up. He blinked, and his blue eyes looked at the large purple mark on Riku's forehead.

"What's that?" Sora asked, pointing towards the large bruise. Riku blinked, and said, "What's what?"

"The over-sized bruise on your head, idiot" Sora replied. Riku raised a hand to his forehead, and gingerly touched the large purple blotch. He winced, and said, "Tsk. Dad got pissed, if you must know. What the hell are you doing in the library anyway? Trying to find porn?"

Sora glared, pushing away the visage of Riku's pale chest, and snapped, "No, moron. Doing research for our assignment"

Riku snorted. "Really? Then what the hell is with the abundance of dream decoders?"

"I was…just looking up last night's dream…" Sora replied. Riku gave him a 'Liar-liar-pants-on-fire' look, but didn't push it. "Yeah. Whatever. Well, here," Riku said, and he promptly opened his book bag and pulled forth several books. He thrust them into Sora's arms, earning him a 'Bastard' remark.

"What? They're books on the guy we're doing" Riku sighed. He walked over to the couch Sora had been situated on, and pushed all of the dream books out of the way. He plopped onto the plush seat, and pulled out a notebook and a pen from his bag. "You read, I write," He told Sora. Sora glared, and joined Riku on the couch. He grabbed the first book, and opening it, started, "Hajime Saito (February 18, 1844 - September 28, 1915) was the captain of the third unit of the Shinsengumi, and one of the few core members who survived the numerous wars of the late shogunate period. Saito was born in Edo, Musashi Province (now Tokyo). Very little is known about his early life. He was born Yamaguchi Hajime to Yamaguchi Yuusuke, an Akashi foot soldier, and Yamaguchi Masu. He had an older brother named Hiroaki and an older sister named Katsu. It is believed that in 1862, he left Edo, after accidentally killing a hatamoto, to live in Kyoto"

Sora glanced over to Riku, watching as Riku scribbled down the words. He couldn't help but notice how Riku's tongue stuck out of his mouth, or the way his brow furrowed in concentration. Something warm blossomed in his chest, and he shivered lightly. This warmth, this wonderful new feeling that was like and not like the one that ran through his gut at times like this, was absolutely _perfect_.

He then felt the blunt tip of a pen poking his side, and he blinked. Riku sat there, watching him with interest. "You ok?" Riku asked. But Sora didn't hear him. No, he was far too busy staring at Riku's aquamarine-green eyes, which were showing utter peace, joy, and something else Sora couldn't quite identify.

"Sora?" Riku asked again. Sora shook his head, and gasping said, "You called me Sora!"

"Well, isn't that your name?" Riku smirked. Sora rolled his eyes, and answered, "Psh. Whatever. As a member of the Shinsengumi, Saito was said to be an introvert and a mysterious person; a common description of his personality says he 'was not a man predisposed to small talk.' His original position within the Shinsengumi was Fukuchou Jokin, which roughly translates to "Assistant to the Vice-Commander." His duties included being a kenjutsu instructor. Despite prior connections to Aizu, his descendants dispute that he served as a spy.

"His role as an internal spy for the Shinsengumi is also questionable; one common example being that he is said to have been instructed to join Ito Kashitarō's splinter group in 1867, to spy on them. However, this is disputed by Abe Juro, who did not believe he was a spy. It is probable that he also monitored other intelligence and enemy activity. His controversial reputation comes from accounts that he executed several corrupt members of the Shinsengumi; however, rumors vary as to his role in the deaths Takeda Kanryūsai and Tani Mijuro.

"In the reorganization of the ranks in late 1864, he was first assigned as the fourth (military) troop captain. In Nishihonganji on April 1865 he was assigned as the third (special police) troop captain. Saito was considered to be on the same level as the first troop captain Okita Soji and the second troop captain Nagakura Shinpachi. Together with the rest of the Shinsengumi, he became a hatamoto in 1867.

"During the Boshin War (1868-1869), due to Hijikata Toshizo's injuries, Saito became the commander of the Aizu Shinsengumi around May 26, 1868 under the name Yamaguchi Jiro (which he had used since late 1867). When Hijikata decided to retreat from Aizu, Saito parted with Hijikata and continued to fight with the Aizu army until the very end of the Battle of Aizu. This parting account was recorded in Taniguchi Shirobee's diary, where it was recorded as an occurrence between Ootori Keisuke, whom Hijikata requested to take command of the Shinsengumi; thus the said confrontation was not with Hijikata.

"However, questions regarding this parting remain because the plans at the time did not yet call for a retreat from Aizu and go to Sendai, and the dates of Saito's appearance in Buddha Hall conflict. Saito, along with the few remaining men of the Shinsengumi who went with him, fought in Buddha Hall, where they were outnumbered. It was at Buddha Hall that Saito Hajime (Yamaguchi Jirou) was thought to have been killed in action; however, he managed to get back to Aizu and was enlisted under the Phoenix Troop. After Aizuwakamatsu Castle had fallen, Saito travelled southwest to Takada Han, Echigo where he was under penitence as a prisoner of war and on record as Ichinose Denpachi."

"Whoa, whoa! Slow down!" Riku muttered, hastily writing the words. "Stop giving me his Shinsengumi history. We need his family history first," Riku added. Sora snorted, and flipped through to the page Riku wanted.

"His wife's original name was Takagi Sada. His eldest son Tsutomu, was married to a very kind girl named Nashino Midori that was greatly favoured by his wife. They had seven children: Motoko, Minoru, Kyoko, Ritsu, Susumu, Kazuko and Tatsuo. Later on Susumu married a girl by the name Etsuko, while Minoru married a girl named Natsuko, who had a close relationship with Midori. They had two children, Naoko and Taro. Tsuyoshi married a girl named Asaba "Yuki" Yukiko and had four children with her. Their eldest son was named Hidaki. Their youngest son Tatsuo married a woman named Tazu and had a daughter with her whose name was Eiko."

Riku nodded, and continued to write. They continued doing this - Sora reading and Riku writing down the necessary information. When they finished they fell into a comfortable silence, in which they just dozed from the warmth of the library. Five minutes later, Sora fell asleep, leaning into Riku. Riku smiled softly, and whispered, "Why do you hate me? I _love_ you"

**X-X-X**

Sora woke up three hours later, curled up in a ball. He blearily opened his eyes, and wondered where he was. As if in answer, the intercom rang out, "The library will be closing in ten minutes. Could everyone please leave? Thank you. Oh, Quistis, there's a phone call waiting for you"

Sora blinked. And blinked again. Then it all hit him.

"Tanaka!" He gasped, bolting up. Riku was gone; as were all of the books that Sora had dreaded putting away. He looked around, effectively making the note stuck to his forehead dislodge. It floated onto his lap, and Sora picked it up. He unfolded it, reading the neat print.

_Idiot,_

_You fell asleep. Lazy ass. I put away everything, though. You SO owe me. I had an appointment, so I had to leave you and your lazy ass. I put the work in your bag, because, ha, you're the one who's going to organize it. Why? Because I said so, and you owe me, remember? I want it done by tomorrow. And if it isn't done I'll ask Ms. Gainsborough to keep us in. You because you're supposed to organize it, me because I have nothing better to do except watch Axel make faces at Roxas, and you'll slack off if I'm not there. _

_And I won't tell anyone about your 'dreams'. Is little So-chan growing up?_

Sora felt his face flush red, and he growled. He crumbled up the note, and trashed it. He grabbed his bag, and he proceeded to stomp out of the library, the look on his face positively murderous. He looked about, noting the long orange rays of sunlight that stretched out across the street. He continued down the path, glancing at his watch, before digging out his wallet. He opened it, and checked to see how much money he had. A small smile flitted across his lips, and he hurried on. Soon the ice-cream parlour came into sight, its cheery pink-and-blue roof standing out. He wandered up to the glass door, and pushing it open, smiling at the little tingle from the bell, said, "Hey, Yuna"

Yuna, a pretty young girl with one blue eye and one green eye who was currently partaking in a war of love against Selphie for Tidus' attention, looked up from her magazine, and smiling greeted, "Sora! I haven't seen you for ages! How are things with Tanaka going?"

'_Well, I'm having weird dreams about him, I went for some two hours without calling him bastard, and I swear I head him say he loved me in my sleep, and every time I see him I feel all floaty and fluttery'_

"Psh. I wouldn't mind shooting the jerk. Got any sea-salt ice-cream?" Sora replied, glancing over towards the large menu that sat above the counter. Yuna grinned widely, and nodded. She hurried over to the large freezer, and pulled forth a large tub. She slammed it on the counter, and said, "That'll be $10.50, So-ra"

Sora handed over the necessary amount, and in turn got a plastic bag with a three litre tub of ice-cream that Roxas was going to devour within fifteen minutes. With the help of Sora, of course.

"Thanks, Yuna" Sora said, and turning around he left the store. When he got outside he looked around, realising that it was later than he thought. Dark shadows were started to seep around him. Shivering, Sora ran the rest of the way home, glad when he heard the faint sound of Aerith's pop music drifting from her window, the addition of Roxas' own dark music, and the sound of that weird showed called 'Scarred' that Leon and Cloud were so addicted to. The delicious scent of cooking food wafted out to meet him as he opened the door, calling out, "I'm home!"

He kicked off his over sized black and yellow sneakers, and padded into the kitchen. Kumeko stood above the stove, her long brown hair tied back in a messy bun. She looked over her shoulder, her heart shaped face framed by a few stray hairs. Her bright blue eyes that both Sora and Roxas had received were smiling, as were her lips.

"Welcome back, Sora. We're having spaghetti carbonara for dinner" Kumeko said, returning her attention to the pan of sizzling bacon. Sora grinned widely, and replied, "That's great! I got some ice-cream, too"

Kumeko laughed lightly, and waved her hand towards the fridge-freezer. "Well, put it away. Oh, some boy rang up earlier wanting to make sure you got home alright"

Sora blinked, stuffing the over-sized tub into the tiny freezer, and said, "Which boy? I know lots of boys. Tidus, Demyx, Zexion, Wakka…"

"No, none of those" Kumeko sighed, trying to remember the name. Sora closed the freezer's door, and sidled over to the cupboard that sat above the kitchen counter, and grabbing a glass, filled it with water. Taking a sip, he glanced over to his mother.

"I think he said his name was Riku" Kumeko announced, turning off the stove. Sora started to cough violently, spraying water everywhere. Roxas, who had come downstairs in time to catch the last few sentences, burst into gales of laughter, leaning hard on the kitchen table. Kumeko sent her younger twin an odd glance, wondering if he was bipolar. That wasn't the case, though.

"Oh my god, Sora" Roxas said when he had pulled himself together. "What on earth was _Riku_ doing ringing here?"

Sora took a gulp of water, helping to subside his coughing fit, and he croaked out, "How the fuck should I know?"

"Sora! Language!" Kumeko gasped. Sora hung his head sheepishly, and muttered, "Sorry"

Kumeko rolled her eyes, and said, "Hn. Fine, fine. You and your brother go upstairs if you're going to swear. I'll call you down for dinner"

Sora nodded, and muttering an 'alright' stalked past his blonde twin. He grabbed Roxas' hand, and dragged him up the stairs, and into his bedroom. Roxas smirked, and said, teasingly, "Would you mind telling me why your arch enemy is ringing the house wanting to know if you're alive?"

Sora flopped onto his messy bed, and whined, "I don't know!"

Roxas sighed, and joining Sora said, "Where were you today, anyway?"

"At the library" Sora answered, pulling a pillow into his grasp and hugging it like an over-stuffed teddy-bear.

"Why on earth were you at the library?" Roxas asked. "Looking up stuff," Sora replied. He then added on, "But I ran into Tanaka. We did research"

Roxas blinked. And blinked again. Finally, he said, "_What_?"

"Well, I was there looking up stuff, and he just popped up, and I guess he was doing work on our assignment, because he stuffed all these books into my arms and told me to read them out loud to him so he could take notes. And then I…fell asleep. And I had this really weird dream - I think - where he said, 'Why do you hate me? I love you' and then when I woke up he was gone"

Roxas choked on his own spit. Giving Sora and incredulous look, he replied, "Uh huh. Now, tell me, why on earth are you dreaming about Riku confessing his love?"

Sora shrugged. "How the hell should I know?"

Roxas rolled his eyes, and grabbed Sora's wrist. "Sora, why do you hate Riku?"

Sora groaned. "Because he has this look that makes me feel imperfect, and hating him makes the butterflies go away!"

Roxas blinked. "Butterflies?" He questioned, confused. Sora nodded, and said, "Yeah. The butterflies! You know how you get that fluttery feeling inside your gut when you wake up on Christmas morning? Or on your birthday?"

Roxas nodded. "Well, every time I see Tanaka I get that feeling!" Sora said, waving his arms around. Roxas stared at his twin. Finally, he said, in a serious tone of voice, "Sora. Listen to me; before you go denying it, I need to tell you something. Every time I see Axel, who I love so much it's not funny, I get that feeling. I feel like I'm not worth him, but then he kisses me, or hugs me, and then everything becomes so wonderful. And I think that wasn't a dream. Axel told me that Riku…he's been pining after you for awhile…"

Sora stared at his brother, shocked. Then, "A--are you saying that I might _like_ Tanaka? As in like-like?"

Roxas nodded, expecting Sora to blow up. But Sora didn't say anything for a few minutes, just staring into space. Finally, he whispered, "And Riku might like-like me back?"

Roxas knew Sora had accepted what he felt when he said Riku's first name. "Yeah" Roxas said. Sora's eyes looked over to him, and Roxas smiled.

"You should talk to him tomorrow," Roxas said. Sora nodded, and murmured, "Yeah"

"BOYS! DINNER!" Kumeko hollered. Both boys climbed off the bed, and just as they walked out the door Roxas placed his hand on Sora's shoulder.

"You feel lighter, don't you? Better?" He asked. Sora looked at his brother, and smiled. Properly. He wore that smile all the way into the kitchen, causing Leon to choke on his coke, and Kumeko to drop the cutlery. Sora hadn't smiled like that since Yasuo had left.

"Yeah. A whole lot better," Sora said.

**X-X-X**

Sora spent Sunday thinking, mulling over what he and Roxas had talked about in his head. Come Monday morning, Sora was both a nervous wreck and terribly excited. He stood in the kitchen, shaking and giggling. Cloud watched the boy with interest, vaguely wondering if Sora really was bipolar. Or if he had a really bad cold and was delirious with fever.

When it was time to leave, Sora was outright panicking.

"Is my hair ok? Is there anything in my teeth? What about acne? Do I have any acne? Oh god, I have acne, don't I?" He worried. Roxas gave Sora an exasperated look, and said, "No, Sora, you don't have acne. You haven't acne since you were thirteen. Your hair is fine, and there's nothing in your teeth. Now let's go, already!"

Sora sighed. Sano, with his soft sand-blonde hair and green eyes, smirked, and added, "You'll be fine, kiddo. Go get her. Or him"

Sora gave his father figure a shaky smile, and rushed after Roxas out the door. Kumeko walked over to her husband, and said, smiling brightly, "Our little boy's growing up"

**X-X-X**

Sora walked into the history classroom, hands shaking and looking about nervously. Demyx was sitting in his normal seat, absentmindedly chewing a pencil. Axel sat in his own seat, but his back was straight and he was wringing his hands. Riku was nowhere to be seen. Sora trekked over to Axel, and poked his shoulder. A pair of emerald eyes slid over him, and Sora asked, "Where's Riku?"

Axel didn't even make a comment about Sora usage of Riku's first name. Instead he bit his bottom lip, and grabbed Sora's wrist. He grabbed a pen with his other hand, and scribbled something onto Sora palm. Sora blinked, and looked at it. **He's in room 125** was written there. Sora opened his mouth to ask what Axel meant, when said Axel interrupted him.

"He was in a car accident. Go"

And go Sora did.


	3. I love him

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kingdom Heart I, II or CoM

**Warnings**: Fluff, and the most sexual thing I've written since my attempt at a Saiyuki lemon two years ago_. (shudder)_

**Author's Notes: **HA! HA HA HA!! I didn't kill him! HA! Take THAT!

… Ok, so I'll shut up now.

Blah. Seriously, I finished this chapter in one night. I'm so proud of myself. Whatever. Epilogue should be up in the morning, after namikun betas it for me, because she is my wonderful, glorious beta of whom I am very, very thankful for because she ROCKS!

**J** has forbidden me to sing any more of his songs. _(hangs head)_

The ending bit might be a little blah, because I added that part on and I didn't want to bother namikun (STOP CAPITLIZING THE N!!) again. She's already doing a few other things for me, and she has school.

**OXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXCOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

Sora tore out of the classroom, effectively bowling into Aerith. He didn't stop though, not even when his sister called out his name. Not even when he zoomed past Roxas' classroom, not even when said twin stuck his head out the door and yelled at his disappearing back. And he didn't stop for the principal, Mr. Xaldin Lancer, either, who stood waving his fist at him. No, he ran out of the school gates and down the street, headed towards the hospital. The world went by in a blur of greens and greys and of faceless people, of browns and blues and yells. He could only think of Riku, perhaps laying in the emergency room in a deep coma, surrounded by shouting nurses and murmuring doctors. He could only think of the perfectly chiselled pale face of milky skin, of his moonlit spun hair and his beautiful aquamarine-green-blue eyes of the ocean sky that only belonged in the Tanaka family.

Sora's heart pounded against his ribcage, and his breath came in deep pants. Sweat dripped down his brow, and he realised that he had been running full on for fifteen minutes straight. But none of that mattered, for he could see the hospital. The large multi-story building was bleached white and crème and brown, with a blue tiled roof and several large gardens filled with flower beds of roses and port wine magnolias. Sora felt elated at the fact that he was almost there, and gave an extra burst of speed.

He rushed up to the large double doors, and stood panting before them, doubled over. A middle-aged woman walked past him, and gave him a dirty look. Sora ignored her, and straightened up. He then pushed open the doors, and wandered into the whitewashed hallway. He wrinkled his nose at the scent of disinfectant and sickness, the horrible stench of death breaching his nostrils. Sighing, he walked up to the reception desk. He brushed his sweat-soaked bangs from his forehead, and murmured, "I…uh…hi…my…my name is S-Sora Kusunagi, and I would like to know if Riku Tanaka is…uh…okay…if that's at all possible…"

The nurse who sat at the desk looked up, and cocked her head to one side. Her hair was quite short and blonde, with two antennae like bands of hair poking up. She had pretty aqua eyes that were mainly blue, and a cherub like face. She wore a plain white nurse's shift, and a nametag pinned on her right breast that read, 'Larxene Mayumi'.

Larxene sighed, and muttered, "You're the seventh person this morning who wanted to see Tanaka. So, I have to ask, are you either a) part of his family or b) in a relationship with him"

Sora blinked. "Erm…I'm…his…boyfriend…?"

Larxene sighed, and waved her hand. "Fine, fine. Whatever you say, shorty."

"Hey!" Sora snapped. Larxene gave Sora a dismissive look, and replied, "Whatever. Not my fault you're a shrimp, kid"

Sora opened his mouth to retort, when Larxene cut him off. "Now, you wanted Riku Hideki Tanaka, right?"

Sora nodded. He knew that was Riku's middle name, seeing as how last year the teacher had insisted on calling every by their middle names in rollcall. There had been one unfortunate girl from England with the middle name 'Nancy'. Oh, how she had been teased…

"Yeah. He's in room 125," Sora added. Larxene blinked, and raised a slim blonde eyebrow.

"Pray tell, _why_ do you know his room number? You're a stalker, aren't you?"

Sora threw his hands up, and held them in front of him. "No! Axel told me…"

Larxene snorted. "Oh. So you know that demented, jerky, stupid idiot of a pyro?"

"He's in my history class…" Sora muttered. Larxene threw Sora a pitying look, and shook her head, before turning to the white Apple computer on the desk. "Oh, I feel for you, kid. Axel is a right royal pain in the behind," she said as she typed away furiously at the computer. Sora blinked, and asked, "How do you know him, exactly?"

Larxene smiled slightly, before scrolling down a list of names. "I was his… sixth girlfriend last year in January, I think. Lasted about a week. Then he met… oh, what was her name? I can't remember. Some girl with big boobs and long brown hair that, and I quote, 'Shone like maple in the sun, and has the texture of honey'. Why anyone would want to have hair with the texture of honey I have no idea… Here we go—Sephiroth Hojo… later changed his name to Valentine…. later changed his name to Tanaka… Kadaj Tanaka… Loz Tanaka… Yazoo Tanaka… here we go. Riku Tanaka"

Sora smiled nervously. "Well?" He prompted, excitement making an annoying appearance in his gut. The butterflies were so bad his limbs felt all floaty and he kept on having quick little shudders. Larxene glanced at him, and blinked. "Um… yeah, he's stable. Just has a few busted ribs, that's all… he and his father only crashed into a pole"

Sora visibly sagged in relief. "Oh, thank God… I was so worried…"

"Uh… huh… and I really, really don't give a damn. You'd better get going. His doctor's name in Tifa Lockhart, and she doesn't really like it when others visit her patients. The woman's crazy." Larxene shooed Sora off. He gave her a slight wave, to which Larxene yelled, "And tell Axel I said 'YOU FUCKING JERK!'"

Sora nodded, and replied, "Will do" and then power-walked down the hallway. He continued on his hurried way, glancing up at the rooms. He walked past the elevator, and looked up at the sign above it. 'Rooms 1 - 100, mental ward, maternal ward floor one. Rooms 101 - 200, Orthopaedic ward second floor,' Sora read, and didn't read the rest. He hurried into the elevator, and pressed the needed button. Ten seconds later a light 'ping' announced his arrival, and he scurried out of the small metal box, and down the hall. 'Room 120, 121, 122, 123, 124… 125!' Sora grinned madly, and peered through the frosted glass of the tiny window on the door. He couldn't make a thing. He went to open the door, but a shout of, "What do you think you're doing?!" stopped him. He paused, and looked up.

What he saw made want to scream and cower like a little girl.

A tall, busty woman stood there, with long black hair and intimidating eyes. Her chest was thrust forward, her bosom straining against the thin material of her black shirt. She wore a matching knee-length black skirt, and black high-heels. A white doctor's coat completed the attire, along with a clipboard with several sheets of paper, which was being held in her left hand, both of which were placed firmly on her hips.

"I'm seeing… my boyfriend?" Sora answered, feeling rather small. The woman snorted, and snapped, "Oh, really? Well, you're not allowed to visit him! It isn't visiting hours!"

Sora blinked, and glanced over to a near-by sign that said 'Visiting hours: 7:00am - 11:30 am, 1:00pm - 8:00pm'

He then snuck a look at his watch, and saw that it was 8:02am. He looked back up at the lady, then at the door, then at his shoes. He wondered briefly if this woman was going to kill him for pointing out her mistake, but…

"It's 8 in the morning, ma'am" Sora told her. Silence was his answer, and then the woman threw her hands up in the air, and yelled, "SO?! I'M THE BOY'S DAMN DOCTOR! I'M TIFA LOCKHART, FOR CHRIST'S SAKE! AND WHAT I SAY GOES!"

"But—"

"No buts! No, you may not visit my patient! He's still asleep!" Tifa screamed. Sora wondered idly if this person was an escaped mental patient. But she had a defiant air about her…

"I… but… please?" Sora begged, and he thrust his lower lip out and pouted. Tifa eyed his face, and snorted, "That ain't gonna work on me"

Tears appeared, and he cast his bright-blue eyes down. "Still not gonna work. Get back to school, short-stuff" Tifa growled, and she pointed towards the elevator. Sora gave an exasperated sigh, and went to turn around, but was stopped by a gentle voice, "Let him see my grandson, Tifa"

Blinking, Sora looked up, and stared. A beautiful elderly woman stood there, having just come out of the elevator. She had long brown hair with streaks of grey, held up in a high pony-tail, and gentle green eyes. She was dressed in a long blue skirt a stylish long sleeved white top, a shawl made from loosely woven lace over her shoulders. A small smile was tugging at her lips, and Sora noticed that Riku had the same smile, as well.

"Um…" Sora trailed off, not sure of what to say. The woman's smile took over, and she said, "My name's Lucrecia Crescent. I'm Riku's grandmother. You must be Sora"

"Er…yeah" Sora smiled. Lucrecia laughed, before looking up at the fuming Tifa. "I believe that you had patient upstairs, Tifa?"

Tifa's eyes narrowed, and she then stormed past the two, head held high but chest not as puffy. Lucrecia sighed, and shook her head. "Honestly, that woman…"

Sora grinned nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Erm… yeah…"

"You wanted to see Ri, right? Go on then. Tell him that his grandmother and grandfather will be round later, please?" Lucrecia smiled. Sora smiled back, and nodded. "Ok, Mrs. Crescent"

"Oh, call me Lucrecia" She laughed, and turning around headed back towards the elevator. Sora glanced back at the door, and panic overwhelmed him. What if Riku didn't really love him back, and it was all just a joke? What if Riku had decided overnight he didn't like Sora? What then?

About to run off, he heard a soft voice drift through the door, "Piss off, Selphie. I'm not going to talk to you"

That voice… throwing away his fear, he turned the handle, and stepped into the room.

"It's not… Selphie…" He replied. He took in the white room, with flowers smothering every bare surface, and the small white bed in the centre. In said bed sat Riku, dressed in white and a grumpy look on his face as he angrily flipped through a magazine. At the sound of Sora's voice the magazine fell from his hands and into his lap, and he stared, wide-eyed and shocked, at the small brunette who stood in the doorway. Riku blinked several times, before stuttering, "So-Sora? What are you…?"

And then Riku stopped, his eyes hardening slightly, and he cleared his throat. "I mean, what the hell are you doing here, Kusunagi?"

Silence fell over them as Sora took in Riku's perfect face, his long silver hair that lay pooled against the propped up pillows, and his full, pink lips. The very visage made Sora's heart flutter against his chest, and he murmured in response, "I…I really need to talk to you"

Riku snorted, and snapped, "What, and we aren't talking now?"

Sora shook his. "No. We're just arguing"

Sora inhaled a deep breath, and hurriedly said, "Don't say anything, ok? Just… listen"

Riku cocked his head to one side, but didn't say anything. Sora felt the butterflies become worse, and looking at the floor he continued, "I… I've shown a dislike for you ever since we met. At first it was because my dad told me to hate you, and I did whatever he told me to because I didn't want him to leave. But when he did leave, I started to get this feeling. Like, I was imperfect and you were so much better than me"

Sora's hands were shaking, and glanced at Riku. Aquamarine-green eyes were watching him with interest, and, Sora noticed, a faint spark of hope. That was all he needed to go on.

"And there were butterflies, and I would get really nervous, and floaty as well. And… I didn't like the feelings — I still don't — but Roxas and I talked, and he explained them to me. And Rox said that Axel said that you liked me, as in like-like, and I… and I realise now that I like-like you back…"

He waited for Riku's response, biting his bottom lip worriedly. He looked at Riku again, and froze. Wide eyes were staring at him, mouth slightly agape, and Sora started to panic. Axel _had_ lied, and Riku thought…

Just as he was about to turn around and run, Riku whispered, "S-seriously?"

Sora felt a rush of relief. He nodded, and murmured, "I… yeah…"

"And you're not just saying that because—"

Sora strode across the room, and grabbed Riku's hand. Warmth radiated from the hand, and he couldn't help but notice how well his smaller one fit. "I'm not saying it 'because'."

Riku continued to stare, and Sora felt the maybe it would be a good idea to kiss Riku. So he did so, leaning over and placing his lips against Riku's. A shudder ran through both boys, and suddenly they were scrabbling at each other, holding one another close — even though Riku winced from when Sora bumped his ribs — and tongues flicked out and danced with one another, with weeks, months, _years_ of want piling into that one kiss.

Finally Sora drew back, panting slightly, his lips swollen and his hair mussed. He glanced at Riku, who was smiling this silly grin that made Sora's heart _soar_.

They looked at each other, and then—

"Boyfriends?"

"Boyfriends."

**X-X-X**

Sora set next to Riku, watching as Sephiroth spoke to Lucrecia in the small hospital room. Next to Lucrecia stood a man, elderly, with short black hair streaked with grey, and red eyes. He was silent, but had a small smile stretched across his lips. His skin was pale, and he wore a black business suit.

"Who's that?" Sora whispered to Riku, clutching his hand. Riku smiled, and replied, "That's my grandfather. Step-grandfather, if you want. After father was born grandmother left her first husband - Hojo something - and married grandfather, Vincent Valentine"

Sora snorted. "Vincent Valentine? Is Valentine his real last name?"

Riku shrugged. "I wouldn't know. He doesn't talk to me much"

"Why not?" Sora cocked his head to one side. Riku smirked. "Because I can get away with talking back. And he just got sick of it"

"Oh" Sora murmured. Riku grinned, and gently pressed a kiss to Sora's temple. Sora's face flushed red, but he smiled anyway. A good feeling had washed over him, and he felt oddly calm and tranquil. That state was ruined, though, but several shouts of, "BROTHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Riku paled, Sephiroth swore, Sora winced, and Vincent and Lucrecia smiled shakily. Suddenly the door to the room burst open, and three children, all with silver hair and blue-green eyes, although not as green as Riku's, piled in.

"My little brothers'…" Riku explained, looking depressed. They were all dressed in matching outfits, something Sora found adorable, of black and white. Sephiroth didn't seem to share Sora's opinion on their cuteness, because before they could jump onto Riku's bed he roared, "LOZ! KADAJ! YAZOO! I told you to wait downstairs!"

The three children stopped, and turned around to glance at their angry father. But then they saw Lucrecia, and they screamed, "GRANDMOTHER!" and ran at her. Before they get to her, though, Vincent stepped in front of them, and murmured in a dark voice, "Sit down, be quiet, and stay out of trouble"

They all pouted - something Sora knew they'd grow out of - and all trudged over to Riku's bed, before flopping down onto it. Then they saw Sora. Little eyes widened, and mouths opened.

Sora knew he was going to go home with a headache today.

**X-X-X**

_3 weeks later…_

**X-X-X**

Riku, Sora, Demyx, Zexion, Axel and Roxas all sat under the large tree in the corner of the school yard, slurping down soda and dozing in the shade. School was over - at last - and they were just hiding out here, seeing as how none of them felt like going home yet. Sora and Roxas were leaning against each other's backs, supporting them, and sleeping. Zexion was snapping pictures of them with his camera, muttering something about how he was going to beat Vexen in this year's photography competition. Demyx was humming in agreement, and gently strumming his worn, beaten sitar. Axel was flicking his lighter on and off, whilst Riku sat there listening to Demyx's playing with his eyes closed. It was good, he noted, but a violin and maybe a piano in the background would make it sound better.

"Hey, Kazami?" Riku murmured. Demyx looked up from his sitar, and smiling said, "You don't hafta call me 'Kazami' anymore, Riku. Demyx. Or Dem. Whatever floats your boat"

Riku shrugged, and opened an eye. "Whatever. You ever considered getting a music contract before?"

Demyx blinked. "Well, yeah, I'd love to be able to record something. But I can't. I'm not good enough"

Riku snorted, and shut his eye. "Demyx, trust me, you are good enough. I spend every weekend in father's studio listening to all those bloody wannabe's who don't even know where C note is on a piano. You've got real talent"

Demyx's eyes widened, and he gasped, "Don't know where the C note is? But… how?"

"I know. Come around this weekend. I'll get father to have a listen," Riku muttered. Then, "Can I have a go?"

Demyx smiled widely, and nodded. "You sure about me being good enough? I mean, I--"

"Just give me the damn sitar, Demyx" Riku growled. Demyx eeped, and handed Riku the blue instrument. Riku opened his eyes, and settled the sitar comfortably in his lap. He then plucked the strings a few times, and played 'Mary had a little lamb'. Axel snorted, and drawled, "That all you can play---"

But he was cut off when Riku's fingers started to fly over the sitars strings, causing an upbeat and cheery tune to echo out. Axel shut his mouth, and Demyx stared. "Where'd you learn how to play?" He gasped. Riku finished off the song, before handing the sitar back to its owner. Riku shrugged, and replied, "Father wants all his children to be able to play at least four instruments and sing properly"

Zexion stopped taking pictures, and glanced over to Riku. His blue eye peered out from under the waterfall of slate coloured hair that covered one side of his face, and he murmured, "Four?"

"Yeah. Piano, guitar, violin and whatever else we wanted to play. I went through the drums, trumpet, cello, sitar, saxophone, and finally settled on the flute," Riku answered, and he tugged a blade of grass from under his crossed legs. Zexion nodded, and muttered a quiet 'Ah', before returning to fiddling with his camera. Axel grinned evilly, and said, "Ok then. Sing"

Riku gave Axel a 'You-have-to-be-kidding-me' look, and replied, "No"

Axel smirked, and shot back, "Yes, lest you wish Sora to know of the 'SoraxRiku' that you scratched into that bench over there last year"

Riku glared at Axel, and muttered, "What do you want me to sing, then?"

Axel shrugged, and said, "Whatever you wanna sing"

"Sing 'Light' by Rikku Hikari"

Everyone glanced over to where Sora was sitting up, stretching and yawning. Riku cursed lightly under his breath, and sighed, "You heard Axel?"

"I heard Axel" Sora confirmed. "But sing anyway"

His right eyebrow twitching, Riku opened his mouth and started.

"_I can't see, _

_I can't breath,_

_Open up my eyes,_

_And let the light piece my darkened gaze,_

_Oh please oh please, _

_Let me see, let me see, _

_Let me see the glorious light that radiates from your heart._

_I can't see,_

_I can't breath, _

_Open up my eyes,_

_And let the shining sun chase away my eternal night,_

_Oh please oh please,_

_Let me see, me see,_

_Let me see the burning bright that radiates from your heart_"

Riku finished, and glanced over to his friends. Axel, Zexion and Demyx both sat with their mouths gaping open, stunned into silence, whilst Sora had gigantic grin on his face. He reached over to where they all dumped their school bags, and withdrew a small spiral notebook from his bag. He flipped in open, and flicked through a few pages.

He stopped when he reached a page that had been divided down the middle, and had 'Axel' written on the left and 'Riku' written on the right. Under Axel's name was Roxas' handwriting, forming a list, while under Riku's was Sora's, also forming a list. Riku's list was considerably longer than Axel's, and Sora was adding something to it. Axel reached over and snatched it away from Sora's hands, causing a 'Hey!' to come from the brunette.

Axel's eyes widened, and he started to read, "Axel: Has pretty eyes, has nice hands, is warm, has nice body, is good at Maths, can roast killer marshmallows, hopeless romantic. Riku: Has gorgeous eyes, has really nice hands, is really warm, has a really, really nice body, is good at school in general, can make the best s'mores, hopeless romantic, is rich, has soft hair, is really rich, has a nice voice, is really selfless, can sing, can play four different instruments… Sora? Why are you and Roxas comparing me and Riku?"

Sora blushed, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Erm… we… got into a fight about it on Saturday night… and Leon said we should write a list down instead of attempting to claw each other's eyes out because he was about to go and fuck Cloud and didn't feel having to take someone to hospital during his sex…"

"Oh"

Riku laughed, and reaching over pulled Sora into his lap. Sora squeaked adorably, and started to wriggle around in an attempt to get comfortable. Finally he settled down, and he started to fiddle with Riku hair. Riku kissed Sora's neck, and started ti nip and bite at it. Sora moaned softly, causing Axel to snap, "Hey, stop it! It's not fair if you're getting some while I can't!"

He was ignored.

Riku started to suck where he had bitten Sora, flicking his tongue over the silky soft skin. Sora shivered, and his eyelids fluttered. "Nnn…" He moaned. Zexion smirked, and switched a few buttons on his camera, before taking a picture of the two boys'.

"And that's their birthday presents taken care of" he announced. Demyx stared at them with interest, and he replied, "Zexy? I think I need a new hicky, too. The last one's fading…"

"Hey! NO!" Axel exclaimed, and he promptly kicked Riku in the side. Riku slapped Axel's foot, and continued to work on Sora's neck. Poor Axel looked about ready to cry, but Roxas reached out and pulled Axel to him in his sleep, muttering, "…mine…"

Axel smiled, and whispered, "Yeah. Yours"

"Aww!!" Demyx squealed. "Isn't that the cutest thing! Zexy, I want a picture of them like that!"

So Zexion took a photo of the two, whilst murmuring, "I'm surrounded by sex-fiends"

Suddenly there was loud yelp, and everyone glanced over to Sora and Riku. Sora's eyes were wide and his face red, and he stuttering, "S--serious?"

Riku nodded. Sora let out a yell - waking up Roxas - and hugged Riku tighter.

"I love you too!"

Zexion snorted.

"Make that love-drunk half-crazed sex-fiends"


	4. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts I, II or CoM

**Warnings:** None that I can see...

** Author's Notes: **DONE! My first multi-chapter fic that I have actually bothered to finish! YES!

** OXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

Kairi Nakamura sat in her small living room, flipping through a copy of 'Family Life', a famous and popular magazine that her best friend, Selphie, worked for and owned. She was currently reading about the break up of Paine Nomura and her most current husband. Sighing, Kairi rolled her eyes, and flipped through the next page. What she saw next caught her eye.

A picture of Riku and Sora - both at their current age of thirty - was smiling from the page, their adopted daughter, Naminé, in between them. Kairi laughed, stunned. She hadn't seen either boy since their wedding, and was happy to see that their relationship was still going strong. Riku's hair was longer, she noticed, and Sora's eyes were bright with content joy. Naminé, who was six, looked adorable, with wide blue eyes, soft blonde hair and chubby red little cheeks. A gap-toothed smile stretched across the little girl's face, and she was dressed in a plain white dress with little white ribbons on the sleeves. Kairi audibly cooed.

She then started to read the article.

**Family of the Month: The Tanaka's**

_**Written by Selphie Tilmitt**_

_What you see before you is proof of perfect relationship. Riku and Sora Tanaka—both age thirty—have been married for nine years, and are 'still as much as in love with each other since they were fourteen years ago'. Both men met at the age of twelve, when they were placed in the same homeroom class. When asked of their first encounter with one another, Riku Tanaka laughed, "Sora came up to me at lunch and said my hair was old looking and then he poured Coke down my shirt."_

_Sora says it is because Sephiroth Tanaka rejected his father when he asked for a recording contract. Square Enex Recording Studios is one the largest studios in the business, and has produced several famous musicians, such as Paine Nomura, Rikku Hikari, and Demyx Kazami. Naturally, Sora's father - who wishes to stay unidentified - was more than angry at Sephiroth, and had told Sora to make his oldest son's life a 'living hell'. Sora proceeded to do so, and for the next four years both boys partook in an all-out war, including name-calling, prank-pulling, and ice-cream-dumping. _

_Then, at the age of sixteen, both boys were partnered together for a history assignment. Roxas Moriyama, Sora's identical twin, states that this was the turning point in their relationship. Axel Moriyama, Roxas' husband, was Riku's best friend, and by being so learned of Riku's secret love for Sora. Roxas also claims that Sora was feeling 'floaty and imperfect' around Riku, as well, and after good ol' twin-to-twin talk, pointed out that Sora was feeling that way because his feelings for Riku weren't hatred, but really love. _

_After confessing to one another, both boys got together, and haven't been apart since. Both boys graduated at the age of eighteen, and Riku proceeded to inherit Square Enex Recording Studios from his father. Sora took several creative writing courses at the local university. Sora then wrote his first book, 'Kingdom Hearts', which reached the Top Ten List of Perfect Reads within a month of its selling. Riku proposed to Sora at the publication party for the second book, 'Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories', to which Sora hastily agreed, at the age of twenty-one. Their wedding - which I personally attended - was one of the most famous of our time, and something to be remembered. Three thousand yellow, white and red roses were imported from overseas, along with several varieties of rare lilies. The wedding cake, though, was the main attraction, as it was decorated with the rare and mysterious paopu fruit. _

_At the age of twenty-six they adopted two-year old Naminé, and claim that she's their 'perfect little angel'. Naminé, in turn, says she loves her papa and daddy, and wants them to adopt her a little sister. Both men are currently filling out forms and documents for the adoption of Olette Pearson, a young three-year old. _

_Both men have strong relationship, in which they say they are, "Best friends and lovers all rolled into one". Sora is currently writing his third book, 'Kingdom Hearts II', while Riku is expanding the business buy purchasing several other studios across the globe. _

_Next weeks Family of the Month: The Kazami's_

Kairi smiled. She was seized by the sudden urge to ring Sora, and she reached over the couch and grabbed her phone. She scrolled through the numbers, stopping on Sora's, and dialled.


End file.
